"The rock stars of AP's race-calling operation are the dozens of staffers across the United States who have spent weeks, months and sometimes years studying the voting patterns of individual precincts, parishes, counties and states.

"They spend election night staring at computer screens watching the vote count come in, discussing what the count tells them and what's yet to know. They study a number of statistical models built on historical patterns and vote count and constantly ask questions like these: How many votes are still out? What counties are they in? Are there enough outstanding votes to change what the current vote shows?"

She continued:

"Getting the calls right is the most important thing they do. The reputation of the entire AP rests on every one of these calls. That's why the most important question each of them ask about each race is this:

"Are we 99.7 percent sure? When they are sure, AP names a winner in that race. News flies to the world and the team moves on to the next race.

“As these race callers work through the night and into the morning, they are methodical, serious, focused and, you may be surprised to learn, pretty quiet.

“But they are, without a doubt, rock stars.”

The following is a chronology of APNewsAlerts calling the U.S. presidential race in each state (all times Eastern). At this time, Florida remains too close to call.

About AP
The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP. On the Web: www.ap.org.